State of the art in airport navigation

The general increase in air traffic and the complexity of modern airport layouts have conducted to think about new technologies to assist pilots during maneuvers on airport surface. Some airport navigation applications have been developed in recent years. The current technologies plot the estimated aircraft position on the airport map. In good visibility condition, this information helps the pilot to navigate on the airport. These applications contribute to the reduction of the taxiing time and runway incursions. Nevertheless, this information is not sufficient to navigate in low visibility condition. This paper introduces the state of the art in airport navigation, with the current functions available to assist pilots, and also the additional applications envisaged to improve the airport navigation in low visibility condition. Current constraints and limitations of airport navigation development are highlighted.